The present invention relates to a method and tool for removing a non-metallic outer sheath from a cable, without damaging the inner wires.
Brimmer in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,132 discloses a stripper tool to remove the outer sheath of an electrical cable having a pair of spaced apart covered electrical wires and an uncovered ground wire therebetween located inside the sheath (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cX/2 cablexe2x80x9d). That stripper tool, however, is specifically designed to not cut the outer edges of the outer sheath. The user, according to Brimmer, cuts the outer sheath except the outer edge, and then must remove the tool from the cable. The user grasps the sheath, to be removed, and bends the uncut outer portion at least twice to break it. The user then pulls with his fingers the xe2x80x9cbrokenxe2x80x9d outer sheath from the cable to expose the electrical and ground wires. The Brimmer tool provides an uncut portion on the sheath because Brimmer maintains the cable elongates itself when the tool cuts the outer sheath. Thus, to avoid cutting the electrical wires Brimmer designed his tool to not cut the cable""s outer edge, and inherently the electrical wire.
None of the prior art patents describe a hand-held stripper tool to cut the entire outer sheath of X/2 cable without cutting the electrical or ground wires. None of the prior art patents disclose a hand-held stripper tool wherein the user applies a force to the tool to cut the outer sheath of X/2 cable and then pushes on the tool to remove the cut outer sheath.
The present invention is a hand-held stripping tool. The tool is adapted for cutting an outer sheath of a first electrical cable. Inside the sheath is parallel spaced apart insulation covered wires and a core member containing an uncovered ground wire between the insulation covered wires. The sheath has spaced apart curved sides conforming to the covered wires. The tool has spaced apart first and second jaw members adapted to be pressed together. The jaw members have cutting edges that receive a portion of the first cable along its length. The cutting edges define an opening configured to cut the sheath without significantly cutting the insulation on the wires or the unsheathed ground wire when the jaw members are pressed together to form the opening. The portion of the sheath is then removed in one continuous process.